Draw-off attachment for liquid containers



May 9, 1933. A. E. ENGLAND DRAW-OFF ATTACHMENT FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS Filed Feb 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l WWWMMWV f May 9, 1933.

DRAW-OFF ATTACHMENT FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS E. ENGLAND Filed Feb. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 9, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR E. ENGLAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONIIALF-TO PETRICK BROTHERS, INC., 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS i DRAW-OFF ATTACHMENT FOR LIQUID CONTAINERS Application :tiled February 17, 1931. Serial No. 516,327.

This invention relates to improvements in draw-off attachments for liquid containers.

More especially it provides a stopper for atop opening in a container, as for example in a gallon bottle, which stopper is designed and equipped for the feeding of liquid from the container. It may have a variety of uses. One for which it is particularly suited is for conveniently replenishing distilled water in the cells of storage batteries, and when thus used it may be called a. battery filler.

It is an object of the invention to provide so that liquid from a standard type of container, having a single opening at its top, as a bottle or jug, may be directed in a stream into a battery cell, or other desired place, without inverting the container, and ma be interrupted at will, by a Siphon metho without need for priming the siphon each time a discharge of water is wanted. When desired liquid may be propelled to a substantially higher level than the liquid level in the container. One object is to provide so that the delivery tube may be sealed tightly when not in use. It is moreover, an important feature that the invention is simplein construction, low in cost to produce, and readily may be associated with and dissociated from a container.

In attaining these objects and results in the preferred way a closure plug or stopper device is provided which embodies a manually operated pump, a flexible tube which may be a Siphon, and a dead-end socket to receive, close andhold the tube. All these may cooperate in the generation of'flow-pressure of liquid from the container.

The pump may be an ordinary hand operated rubber bulb with valves, for applying air pressure to the surface of liquidk in the container. This can eject liquid from the container into the tube, for priming the siphon, after which liquid can flow through the delivery tube by siphonic action to any point which is below the level of liquid in the container. A dead-ended socket is provided in the side 'of the stopper, of suitable size to receive and grip the discharge end of the tube. When the tube is not'in use its end or nozzle may bethrust into this socket,

which acts as a closure for the nozzle to maintain the device primed and ready for instant siphonic delivery of liquid as needed, and which acts as a grip to hold the tube-'end securely and neatly in a stand-by position, iththe tube as a whole so positioned that the whole apparatus can conveniently be carried about with one hand, and if desired held with one hand in position for action While the other hand manipulates the tube. For delivery to points above the liquid level in the container, a manual squeezing of the bulb generates the necesary propulsive force to carry the liquid to sufficient height above the container.

VIt is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in kthe appended claims, whatever features of patentable nov- -elty exist in the invention disclosed. y

In the accompanying drawings; Figure l is an elevation of my invention applied to a bottle;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of details in medial section, with tubular extensions broken away; V l

Figure 3 is a section of 3-3 of Figure 2'; Figure 4 is a perspective of a modifiedV form of bottle stopper, embodying :features of `th invention; l

Figure 5 is a perspective showing a clamp on a bottle neck, adapted to pinch and hold the nozzle-end of delivery tube; y

Figure 6 is a perspective of a bottle stopper with grooves in its flange, for pinching and holdingthe end of the delivery tube;

Figure 7 is an elevation, in medial. section, showing tubes moulded in a stopper body, to provide the interior passages, Vand Figure 8 is an elevat'on, in section on 8-8 of Figure 7. i A

Referring `to the drawings, the stopper lO, preferably will be of rubber having a fair degree of resilience, and is adapted forinsertion in the top opening of a container, such as the bottle 12. A flange 14, having substantial thickness, overlies the top of thefconf tainer and has, opening outof it lat` spaced apart locations, horizontal conduits or-pas-` sages 16, 18, connecting respectively with pas?` sages 20, 22 which latter extend through the body of the stopper and are open at its bottom. The conduit 20, at the bottom of the stopper, has inserted in it the end of a tube 24 of diameter somewhat larger than the diameter of the conduit, thereby stretching the rubber, and of length to extend to a point a little short of the bottom of the container on which the invention is to be applied. Preferably this tube 24 will be stiff and straight,Y and will be held secure in the stopper by the elasticity of the rubber.

.A hose tube 26 is connected to the tube 24, through the passage 20, 16, and may have a nozzle 28 at the hose end to facilitate the directing of a stream flowing out of bottle l2 through the hose 26. rlhus a siphon is provided which, once primed, causes flow from the bottle so long as nozzle 28 is below the level of liquid in the bottle.

rIhe nozzle is preferably of hard material, and has a conical exterior, for a reason to be explained.

For primingthe siph-on, and for propelling liquid to heights above the level in the container, I provide a pump. To this end the passage 22, 18 is connected through tube 30 vto a hand bulb 32, having the usual pumping valves (not shown). A squeezing of bulb 32 generates air pressure on the surface of liquid in the container, forcing it through tube 24, conduits 20, 16, hose 26 and thence out at nozzle 28. Once the flow is instituted by the pump, it will continue by siphonic action, so long as the nozzle 28 is below the level of liquid inthe container. And by continued manualpropulsion the liquid may be delivered from the nozzle at substantial distances above the container.

It is an important feature of my invention that provision'is made for maintaining the siphon, when the device is not inuse, primed and ready for immediate delivery ofliquid to points below the level of liquid in the container, without need for fresh priming or manual propulsion. For this purpose I provide a socket 34 in the flange 14 of the stopper, extending av substantial distance into the flange. VThe socket will be of diameter somewhat smaller than the hardV conical exterior of the nozzle 28, so that the latter may be easily entered in and pressed into, and then will be securely held by the socket, at times of non-use. Because of the elasticity of the rubber of which the fiange'is formed, the nozzle will be gripped tightly enough to seal its discharge thus holding liquid in the siphon tube 26 ready toflow out as soon asthe nozzle is lowered below the liquid level in the container. The tube 26 meanwhile is held conveniently out of the way where it leaksvno water, does not drag on the floor in the handling of the bottle, cannot be stepped on,

and remains always clean.` As the exterior parts are all preferably of soft rubber there are no parts lia-ble to be broken in refilling or handling the bottle'. And no standard for holding the bottle upside down is required, such as characterizes other devices in common use, the bottle is not encumbered, and does not have to be'handled so diflicultly when in use. The device can be applied to any bottle which the stopper 1() will fit. The-nozzle can be omitted, and the bare end of rubber tube used with the same effect, though with less convenience. s i

In either case the operator'controls flow through the tube by pinching or releasing the soft material, while the nozzle is withdrawn from or about to be withdrawn from the socket. The tube end can be placed where Water is wanted, and the flow started orl stopped in stantly, and the tube held primedready7 to start flow again, all withgreat convenience.

Instead of the dead-end socket 34 for hold-y ing-and closing the discharge end of tubke126', the'stopper 10 may be formed as in Figure 4, with a fixed plug 36 forl closing and holding the end of the tube, which canconveniently be thrusty upon the plug. In such ai case a saving of stopper material may be effected by: elimination of the flange of Figures 1-3.A Or a device in the form of a spring clamp 38 would serve similar purposes by pinching the flexible end of the tube so as to close its passage and to hold the tube as seen in Figure 5. Still another device for holding and closing the tube may consist merely of narrow recesses or slits 40 in the edgeof the stopper flange which flange extends out ap'- preciably beyond the bottle top. The flexible tube endmay be inserted in theslitto be pinched and held between the elastic walls thereof; If the stopper be designediwith a multiplicity'of such slits 40, as shown in'Figure 6, the flexibility of each will'be higher for yielding, and the tube 26 may be insert ed on any slit which is nearest to hand.

The passages 16, 181, 20 and 22 within the stopper conveniently canbe cored duringlthe moulding operation, and passages so? made are represented in Fig. 2. But they may pref` erab'ly be providedbymouldingthe stopper body around small, stiff tubes, which maybe of bronze or other suitable material, and which remain in the completedj stopperl as seen in Fig. 7. Here the tubes 42, 44 have each a. horizontal nipple which projects out of the flange to provide a means for connection of the tubes 26 30. The vertical portion of the tube 4-2 opens out at the bottom of the stopper, but-the vertical portion of tube 44 is relatively` short and communicates with a'cored passage which latter opens out at the bottom ofthe stopper. Andit is into this cored passage that the long stiff tube 24.` is inserted, preferably to the full extent of the passage Vso that its end' abuts against thevnioulded in tube 44. Withthis construction economies elimination ofV cores except for the singlev straight passage which receives the tube 24'; and the latter coring may be eliminated similarly, leaving a projecting nipple (not shown) upon or into which the long and preferably stiff' tube 24 may be screwed or otherwise fastened.

In Fig. 8 the sockets 34 are tapered in form, with diminishing cross-section from their mouths inward. This permits use of a conventional straight piece of stiftl tube for a nozzle 28 or an ordinary soft rubber pipe end 26; and yet it is effective to seal Vthe device when the nozzle is pressed into such a socket. Also the nozzle will be securely held in a socket by the elastic grip of the socket walls, protected and out of the way.

I claim as my invention:

1 In a discharge device for a bottle or the like, the combination of a stopper; a siphon passing through the stopper having a flexible tube discharge portion; and means for maintaining the siphon primed during periods of non-use, comprising a device ca-rried by by the bottle for holding and closing the free end of the tube.

2. In a. discharge device for a bottle or the like, the combination of a stopper; a siphon passing through the stopper having a flexible tube discharge portion; a pump and passage for letting air from the pump in the bottle, for priming the siphon; and means for maintaining the siphon primed during periods of non-use, comprising a device carried by the bottle for holding and closing the free end of the tube.

3. In a discharge device for a bottle or the like, the combination of a stopper; a siphon passing through the stopper having a flexible tube discharge portion; and means for maintaining the siphon primed during periods of non-use, comprising a recess in an exposed part of the stopper adapted to receive, to flt and to hold frictionally the end of said tube, the elastic engagement of said tube end with the recess wall serving to prevent escape of liquid.

4. In a discharge device for a bottle or the like, the combination of a stopper; a siphon passing through the stopper, having a flexible tube discharge portion, and a conical nozzle; and means for maintaining the siphon primed during periods of non-use, comprising a dead-end socket in an exposed part of the stopper to fit yieldingly the snout of said conical nozzle, and elastically to engage, seal and hold said nozzle.

5. In a discharge device for a bottle or the like, the combination of a soft elastic stopper pierced by a passage; a tube held by and extending down from said passage toward the bottom of the bottle; a second tube held by the outer part of the passage, with flexible discharge portion extending away therefrom, these two tubes with the passage constituting a siphon; the outer part of the stopper being arranged for holding and closing the end of said second tube.

6. A discharge device for a bottle or the,

like, comprising a stopper having an air inlet passage, and a siphon discharge passage with cylindrical nozzle; said stopper having a socket in an exteriorly exposed portion of 

